Overall Comments

I have 3 (other) banjo books. They are all thicker & give give great tabs. But this Pat Cloud book, even though only 56 pages, has more info than all the others put together !. Pat goes beyond the tab, and teaches how to think so you can improvise easily with reference to tabs. He gives the penatonic scale, with exercises that drum into you (in a fun way) the fretboard notes. I can already improvise (in a beginner way) even though I have only done 12 excercises. This works, and I can't wait for Pat's new book later in 2010. He is too far underated a player & author. Highly recommended (even if I am in Australia !)

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is an amusing and very helpful banjo book for the beginner (like me.) It is predicated on a fantasy banjo camp, with a series of workshops (each just a few pages long) written by various very talented instructors. What I found particularly useful about this format was that it lets you start in lots of different ways, and I think gives you a well rounded idea of what learning to play the banjo is all about. What is less satisfying is that once you get going along any particular path, you are already there.
BUT...I learned a LOT in the process, and I feel like I have a much better idea of what to look for next (including a trip to a real banjo camp...) Well worth the price and the time I have put into working through this book and CD.
My only beefs: the "slow" versions of songs on the CD are not nearly slow enough for me or, I would imagine, most beginners. Also, the website referenced in the book does not exist, although who needs it when we have the Hangout?

Overall Rating

8

Overall Comments

This collection of OT banjo tabs is a reissue ( in the "Mel Bay Archive Editions" collection) of a book originally published in 1994 and is really two books in one - one by each author. In Slater's section (part 1) the 55 tunes are grouped by type (Irish, Appalachian, Waltzes, Modal, etc.) and are at the advanced beginner/intermediate level. Except for the five waltzes in a dedicated section, all the tunes are in duple rhythm.
The 110 songs in Schmitz's section are in no particular order. From her intro: "This collection includes jigs, reels, polkas, hornpipes, strathspreys, waltzes and songs from Ireland, Scotland, the Shetland Islands, Cape Breton, New England and Southern Appalachia." The majority of the tunes are in a triple rhythm of some sort. This alone moves these songs out of the beginner category - at least for me.
I had trouble deciphering the tunings of the songs in the second part of the book. Only two letters are given for each. I figured out some combos, but not all. The combo (G,A) plays in open G tuning and (D,A) plays in double C. But what do (A,A), (Em,A) and (F,A) mean? It would help to have a CD included, but there is none.
There are many beautiful songs here and I've enjoyed playing through them - those I could figure out the tuning for.- and I highly recommend the book.

Overall Rating

8

Overall Comments

I just finished Man of Constant Sorrow. It was written exactly as Dr. Stanley would sound like if he was sitting talking to you. Very entertaining and shows how faith in God that the mountain folks hold so dear helped them survive the tough times they had. Great read!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I have never seen Dr Ralph Stanley perform and only have a few recordings of his work but, after reading his book, "Man of Constant Sorrow", I feel like I have known him personally for years. He has made me feel like I know what it's like to tour the country, sing and play banjo professionally and to live with triumph and tragedy.

The book is an entertaining and educative read from cover to cover and is written in a style that makes you feel as though he's sitting in the room with you yarning away. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in Mr Stanley, the Stanley Brothers, the Clinch Mountain Boys, Old time music, Bluegrass or general folk culture.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I feel much better about myself as a banjo player now having learned from this book. I combined this book with listening to J.D. Crowe (as suggested by Mike Munford). The book gave me the basics and J.D. Crowe (The New South and Bluegrass Album Band (vol1)) demonstrated how you should use them. The book does an OK job of showing you how to use the techniques in a song, but not like J.D. Crowe.

I feel like a have a good base for backup now and I think it will help me play better all around. I highly recommend it.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

I bought this book because I browsed through it at a retail store. The store owner thought it was pretty cool. So, for $20, why not?

It's a book that is primarily an excursion in the author's learning experience, as he says, " A banjo book written by a beginner banjo player." It's a combination of wonderment, and beginner enthusiasm. It is written as a sort of eye-witness account of an imaginary banjo-camp, which seems to fit our culture's fascination with vicarious instant gratification and group-learning experience.

If you are looking for a detailed how-to, pass this book by.There are other books for that. But, if you are a beginner who is unfamiliar with styles, pickers and methods, this book will give you a taste, kinda like a appetizer sampler at Applebee's. And for those of us who have been around for awhile, it is a nice compact reference of some of the more influential players of our time. Refreshingly, there is virtually none of the minutiae that infests the BHO concerning pre-war sound, tone rings, rims, which picker plays what, etc.

The book is a nicely written and lavishly illustrated paperback, a little on the artsy-fartsy side, but it's fun and interesting, sorta like a weekend at a banjo camp where you might be too busy to spend a lot of time in one chair, but want to see who-all is there and kinda what they're doing, so you can get excited about some part of it and start pursuing your own specialty.

The accompanying CD could have been more inclusive, but like I said, there is not all that much music in this book. The author's narrative and his hard-edged vocal quality take a little getting used to for someone used to dulcet Southern accents, but he seems like a guy who is truly in love with the banjo.

I believe this book would be helpful to someone who just decided that banjo-picking would be something cool to learn, but really hasn't been around it much. I find it contains much useful and accurate information presented in a clear and concise manner. If you are planning to attend a banjo camp or workshop this might be a good preview.

Overall Rating

8

Overall Comments

He doesn't talk much and is a quiet reserved man. But after reading his book you start to understand why. He tries to get directly across to the reader what he is really like and describes his early life growing up with Carter and how they got into music. There is nothing lost in translation. because his writing is so direct and honest you really get the picture (just like his songs!). Some of his old time stories are real funny. He is a great story teller because of his honesty and directness in the same way he is a great singer of old time songs.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Very cool autobigography of a great musician. Lots of pictures. Loads of interesting stories. He stories and descriptions are very interesting. great read

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

These method books are incredibly good quality. Hundreds of pages of learning and tablature. Taking you from complete beginner to playing in a band.

I was surprised these were not more in the main stream as they are the best books I have come across to date.

A very structured and intelligent approach by one of the great teachers of the instrument. Books all come with CD's

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I haven't worked through the tabs yet, but they appear to be easy to read. I have never been more disappointed with an instructional CD as I have with this one. The banjo sounds absolutely terrible. Twangy and plunky and scratchy. The tunes plod on mechanically. Instead of what I expected- lilting and melodic British/Scottish/ Irish tunes with melodies recognizably familiar as their American offspring-the recordings are harsh and stilted.

I will work through the tabs, ignoring the CD and see if the tabs offer more satisfaction. The tabs are referenced to the various CD tracks, but there does not seem to have any rhyme or reason to the placement. They do not follow through sequentially.

I generally expect better from Mel Bay.

Overall Rating

4

Overall Comments

If you are one who worships at the altar of prewar flathead one-piece flange Gibson RB banjos, then this book will not disappoint. Lots of fascinating anecdotes and great photography. I am still absorbing the details. I think this will be a benchmark book as it will expose more scholars to the pursuit of the history and background of the Gibson PW flatheads.

The problems I have with the book are minor, and I probably risk being ostracized for my opinions.

I find the book very narrow in scope. It appeals to a small market niche of those interested in a few prized examples this type banjo. I would have liked to see more discussion about the history and development of these banjos and why they have ended up in such a highly regarded status. Maybe more of the available blueprints and shipping records, etc.Those of us who play old Gibsons know about the mystique and appeal, but will this esoterica captivate the wider market? Or maybe it's only supposed to be an homage to the elite few of these banjos that exist.

The editing and grammar errors are distracting and probably not noticeable to most people. For an heirloom coffee-table book, I'd appreciate a little more stringent editing. Still, an impressive work, the result of one man's passion and worthy of inclusion in your library.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

A few years ago, I suggested to a friend who was a major bluegrass photographer in the 1960s and 1970s that we put together a book about prewar Gibson Mastertones, a critter that we both have some knowledge of. We could arrange with noted banjo players for my friend to take photos of their banjos, I suggested, and he and I would interview the players and write the text. “No way,” said my friend, “We would not get access to them because they don’t know who we are” (or words to that effect).

Well, Jim Mills had the same idea, and, being Jim Mills, he does have access to the great players and their banjos. He recruited noted Nashville photographer Dan Loftin to take the photos, and the result is the book “Gibson Mastertone: Flathead 5-String Banjos of the 1930's and 1940's.” As testimony to Mr. Mills’s access to the great players, the book includes sections with descriptions of the prewar Gibson banjos played by Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, J. D. Crowe, Sonny Osborne, Butch Robins, and Steve Huber. It also includes detailed descriptions of a number of Mr. Mills’s own banjos and some other instruments. Anyone interested in prewar Gibsons should purchase a copy of this book – you will probably find it to be indispensable, right up there with Greg Earnest’s website and the Gruhn and Carter book “Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments,” for which Mr. Loftin also did the photos. However, like most books it has its strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:
As expected, the photography is outstanding, well worth the price of admission. And Jim Mills writes about the banjos with passion, with charm, and occasionally with humor. Furthermore, the text is full of interesting anecdotes, information, and opinions from Mr. Mills, who is one of the major collectors and dealers of prewar Gibson flatheads, and most readers will find that their knowledge about the instrument is greatly increased by the book. A particularly important feature, for example, is the section at the end of each instrument’s description in which the provenance of that particular banjo is detailed. It is remarkable to discover how much is known about the history of some of the banjos, and how little is known about others. Also scattered throughout the book are references to the mismatch often found between the hypothesized date of manufacture suggested by the Gibson “serial numbers,” and the verified date of shipping when shipping information is available. Mr. Mills makes the point that we will probably have to rethink our view of the actual chronology of manufacture of the different models, given the demonstrable inaccuracies arising from consideration of the “serial numbers” alone.

An especially enjoyable surprise for me is the book’s inclusion of the Hoke Jenkins RB-6. The dogma has been that Gibson never produced a 5-string version of the model 6, one of the high end Gibsons. Although model 6 aficionados have for some time been aware of reports of at least one original model 6 flathead 5 string, the only hard evidence for it has been the photo of Hoke Jenkins with Jim and Jesse in 1952 holding what appears to be an original 5-string model 6 (see the Bear Family’s box set of Jim and Jesse). As Mr. Mills points out, they weren’t making repro necks in the early 1950s. Mr. Mills has tracked the banjo down, and the book displays it in glorious photos and analyzes its characteristics and history in loving detail. For me, this banjo alone justifies the cost of the book.

Weaknesses:
The down side is that book contains a lot of mostly trivial errors that are, nonetheless, irritating and distracting. That is, the writing is not very professional, and there are lots of errors in punctuation and grammar. Furthermore, aspects of the text are annoyingly repetitive. For example, throughout the book there are multiple references to “my good friend” or “my very good friend.” No doubt Mr. Mills has many friends in the banjo world, but it becomes distracting for him to refer to so many people in this way. Now I can already hear the defensive howling in some quarters of BHO: “Mr. Mills is not a professional writer, this does not pretend to be a work of great literature, I can understand what he is trying to say even if the writing is not the best, not everyone is an English professor, good punctuation and grammar don’t matter,” and so on and so forth, blah blah blah. Some of this I won’t disagree with, but here’s the deal. This is a BOOK; it is not an e-mail message or a posting on BHO, all of which are ephemeral and ultimately discardable. The book is an important piece of work, a major contribution, indeed a scholarly effort, and it is part of the permanent historical record. Copies of it will be available in public libraries, and it ought to be found on the bookshelf of every person who is a 5-string banjo player or who is seriously interested in prewar Gibsons. Hence it should be as well written and as carefully prepared as possible. Mr. Mills and his publisher should have spent a little extra money on the services of a professional editor, who would no doubt have cleaned up the text considerably.

But these are minor quibbles, and no doubt most readers will either be unaware of them or not care at all. However, there is a major error in the book that will have to be corrected in future printings: The major error is that Mr. Mills consistently misspells Butch Robins’s name throughout! He adds an extra B, making it Robbins (sic) rather than Robins. This is embarrassing, to say the least. He also misspells Jim Smoak’s name (“Jim Smoke”). Good thing he got it right with Earl Skrugs, Sunny Osbourne, J. D. Crow, and Bill Kieth. Just kidding!

I note that the book makes another significant error in attribution or credit for the photo of J. D. Crowe on page 24. The photo says, "Courtesy of the Jim Mills Collection." The photo was in fact taken by, and belongs to, Ron Petronko. Ron took the photo in 1960, at the Ottawa Auditorium, in Ottawa, Ontario, and it has been on display in the International Bluegrass Museum. This too should be corrected in future printings.

Overall evaluation:
As noted at the outset, those of us interested in prewar Gibson flathead banjos of the 5-string persuasion will find the book to be indispensable. It provides detailed and extremely valuable information about a variety of representatives of the species, and the photography is positively stellar. The shortcomings in the presentation of the text can be overlooked, with the exception of the misspelling of Butch Robins’s name and Jim Smoak’s name, and the miscrediting of Ron Petronko's photo of J. D. Crowe. Once those glaring errors are corrected, the book will deserve the top rating of 10.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is a recently published book of banjo tablature by Kyle Datesman. Here's the link:

http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=96574BCD

I bought this because the content looked largely unfamiliar to me, and there were some enticing tune titles. The blurb promised some unusual key signatures and modes. I liked the fact that it gives several tunes in more than one key, and that it tells you which mode every tune is in. I've had it about a week, and I'm learning a few tunes from it. It's an eccentric book in many ways, and I find certain aspects of it utterly baffling.

For one thing, the title is a bit of a misnomer. I hear little that isn't Irish in these melodies. The repertoire is predominantly fiddle tunes, jigs and hornpipes. It's fundamentally Irish-American in character, with plenty of repertoire from the US of A.

For another, I'm really curious to know where on earth Kyle Datesman has found all this material. His introductions discuss certain details of the melodies in quirky and interesting fashion, but he never mentions sources.

I wouldn't care, only many of these tunes bear no relation whatsoever to tunes I'd associate with them. There's a "Sail Away Ladies", a "Wind That Shakes The Barley" and a "St Annes Reel" that I've never heard before. They're not simply variations on a theme: they're completely different tunes. I'm no expert, and this may well be ignorance on my part, but I've never heard any arrangements of these that come close to what's tabbed in this book. In the case of "Wind that Shakes the Barley" there's a further anomaly: he gives the tune in two different keys, yet the second arrangement is almost an entirely different tune.

I keep experiencing a nagging scepticism to how much of the author's own composerly 'tweaks' has slipped in. There are a lot of dischords and whole-tone progressions. And the majority of the tunes have a peculiar resistance to resolving themselves in conventional ways – phrases end on strange notes of the scale, and do so too often to ascribe it to a tab typo.

A good example is a beautiful tune called 'Ebenezer'. It has some gorgeous discordant intervals that bring to mind both Joplin rags and Ravel. It doesn't sound like anything I've heard from any British traditions, or indeed from any old modal mountain tunes. Does anybody know this tune? Where's it from?

The closest thing I've heard to this material is the banjo playing of Dan Levenson. He has an album calld Barenaked Banjos that has a similar flavour. ('Betsey Likens' being a good case in point.) And I can hear some echoes of these melodies in some of Andy Irvine & Paul Brady's albums too.

The book comes with an accompanying CD, which isn't all that helpful: it sounds like it was dashed off quick, and it's pretty messy. There are no dynamics to the playing and quite a few other open strings ring out sympathetically, making it very hard to get a sense of the song's mode and mood. (He even - I think - hits the odd neighbouring string once or twice.)

All that said, this is in some ways the most facinating banjo book I've ever bought. It's got my fingers negotiating some very odd stretches. Datesman loves these descending runs that are often chromatic or whole-tone, which have you splaying your fingers in spidery stances up the neck. In the short time I've had it, I've grown much more practised at flea-like springs across strings and frets. These tunes really favour – in fact demand – taking brave liberties with the pace and the dynamics. You get a lot of mileage out of letting certain notes sustain over the next.

So there you have it: some gorgeous if eccentric tabs that may or may not be of dubious provenance. For anyone interested in [very] old-time modal mountain stuff, this should be a must-have. And that goes, in a funny kind of way, for anyone interested in classic or ragtime banjo too.

[ENDNOTE: I'd really appreciate it if any banjo pickers on here, or any experts in this repertoire could check out the link and tell me a bit more about yr opinion of these transcriptions and where they might be from. On the Mel Bay site, you can look at a few sample pages.]

Overall Rating

8

Overall Comments

This magazine is a must have for players or lovers of old time music. Featuring many articles on old time styled banjos, old time banjo players and even the creation of banjos, etc. Nice, professional production. Also, customer service is top notch.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I picked this up at JDMC while having my frets dressed. I have been pleasantly surprised at how accessable the tabs are. I have seen intermediate banjo books with tabs that were not this easy to follow. Some of the tabs are very comprehensive. Sally Goodin has the backup to all fiddle breaks and, of course, the banjo break. All that is not included is the banjo backup for the guitar break. The book includes solos and selected backups to all of the songs from two great albums: THE OLD HOME PLACE and FLASHBACK.
The tabs are so accessable, I believe, because J.D. plays with such taste. Picking the tabs are easy, getting the note seperation and drive that J.D. always brings to the table is the difficult part. Difficult, but I can't think of better material to work on note seperation, taste, timing and subtlty in picking. I cannot recommend this Accutab publication enough, and it is great for picking along with the songs on the two CDs. John Lawless, Bill Evans and J.D. himself did wonderful work on lining out these tabs and proofing them

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Wayne Erbsen's book is a great way to start off on the banjo. His plain speakin' will have you rappin' and frailin' the banjo in no time flat. The greatest asset of this book is that it teaches you how to play while teachin' you to go ahead and think for yerself some. Also, there are plenty of great ol' mountain tunes included and it teaches you how to play in every tuning with the scales included. Builds a good foundation for you to go ahead and explore the world of clawhammer banjo. Nice!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is an awesome book/cd package. The tunes in this book are written out just the way Alan plays them. They are not watered down or simplified. They are not easy to play but are well worth the effort. Even if you are not inclined to spend the time learning the arrangements note for note there are a ton of great licks and harmonic ideas that you can extract and use in your own arrangements. I am amazed at how many things I have found that I have not seen elsewhere. These arrangements are a treasure trove of ideas. All the tunes are played on the included CD so you can listen what it is supposed to sound like. If you are like me this is critical since I am pretty good at figuring out the fingerings from tab, but I don’t always get the feel for how those notes fit together. For an intermediate player like me this book has also been a confidence builder. Although I am at a loss to understand how Alan comes up with all these wonderful ideas, I have not come across anything that I do not believe that I couldn’t learn to play with enough practice. This book is a great learning tool and perhaps even more importantly it is just downright fun.
I’m working on “Red Wing” right now. Very Cool! Here are the tunes included: Old Joe Clark, Fred’s Frolic, Red Wing, Old Spinning Wheel, Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet, Seeing Nellie Home, Liza Jane, Lonesome Road Blues, Peaches and Cream, Prisoner’s Song, Grandfather’s Clock, Titanic, John Henry, The French Broad, and Pavan for a Dead Princess. The last two are a little avant-garde for my taste but are interesting to listen to on the CD.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

The best frailing/clawhammer guide to teaching yourself how to play and make music with the five string banjo. This book makes learning the five string banjo peace of cake.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

The book shows everything you need to know about the banjo, almost to much? It's quite messy, but informative though. It comes with a CD which is a big help. Not so much fun as other banjo books I've read, but OK ;-)

Overall Rating

6